Sleeping Apart
by takemykeyboard
Summary: "We haven't slept together in a while." After the Inter-High, Aoyagi notices a distance between him and Teshima.
1. Chapter 1

"We haven't slept together in a while."

Teshima almost jumped off his bench. "What?" Is Aoyagi talking about what he thinks he's talking about? In the middle of the Sohoku club room? Sure it was after practice but-

"Me and you. We haven't had a sleepover in a while Junta." Aoyagi leaned against the row of lockers and shifted his hair a little more in front of his eye, looking away. "You've been busy with being captain, I've been busy with sprinting. We hardly even train together like we used to."

Teshima slumped over elbows to knees and sighed. So that's what he meant. He looked at his hands, thinking. "Yeah. I guess we haven't."

Aoyagi glanced over at Teshima. He's noticed how overworked he's been. He always ties up his hair now and he has dark circles under his eyes. Aoyagi can't think of the last time he and Teshima sat down and had a conversation that wasn't about training or the team's progress. They used to be so much closer. They used to sleep over at each other's house almost every night to the point half of their closets were the other's clothes. Now it's as if none of that ever happened.

"This weekend? There aren't any races." Aoyagi tried not to sound too hopeful. He prides himself on being able to keep his emotions hidden and he's not going to break now.

"Sorry. I have an exam in English to study for then I have to plan training," Teshima looked up at his best friend, smiling sadly. "Have to keep the team in it's best shape to win."

"Ah," Aoyagi picked up his bag and walked to the door. He stopped. "I'm going to go home. See you tomorrow Junta."

"Yeah." Teshima watched Aoyagi close the door and leave. After he had ridden a safe distance away, Teshima put his head into his hands and sighed. "Damn it Hajime."

Teshima knew he had been distant lately. That's the most he's heard Aoyagi talk in weeks and once he realized it, it was too late. He is busy. Being the captain has a large share of responsibilities on top of transitioning from second-year to third-year. That plus his crazy training schedule to try to become a better climber like Makishima-san said…

Teshima stood up and started pacing the club room. "It's honestly becoming too much," he said, talking to himself. "I have to make sure we're as ready as possible for the next race! If I let my guard down, I'll be left behind. I'm already the weakest on the team, but I have to keep going! If I don't…" Teshima stopped.

"If I don't, I won't be able to keep up with you anymore," Teshima sighed again. "I'm happy for you Hajime, I really am. I just don't want to ride without you." He rubbed at his eyes and set a determined look on his face. "I'm the captain now and I need to be a good one." He hauled his bag onto his shoulder and strode out of the club room.


	2. Chapter 2

The week passed by and Aoyagi was getting more and more concerned for Teshima. His attempt to talk to him seemed to make Teshima dive even further into his duties as captain. He did so many extra laps at the back gate slope that Aoyagi stopped waiting for him to ride home together. It was getting to the point that even the first-years noticed how much extra work Teshima was doing.

"Did you see how many times Perm-sempai climbed the back hill? His legs are gonna fall off!" Naruko laughed. He imitated a wobbling Teshima, using his jersey as a makeshift flag.

"N-naruko-kun, I don't think imitating our captain is the best idea..." Onoda usually changed quickly.

"Especially considering how much you've been slacking off lately," Imaizumi buttoned his uniform shirt. "I seem to remember beating you twice yesterday."

Naruko squared up to Imaizumi with his full 5′5 of height. "You only won because you got a head start!"

"Isn't that part of racing strategy? Calculating when to best put out a burst of speed against your opponent?"

"No! Yes! Racing is about the speed of the bike! Not all of that brain shit!"

Aoyagi let out a quiet sigh. He decided long ago to let someone else deal with their arguments. Onoda usually does an okay job after he gets the courage to speak up. Said climber was currently standing with his back against the lockers as he whipped his head between his teammates in an attempt to follow the fight. Aoyagi finished changing and left the club room, waving backwards to the distracted first-years on his way out.

He rode home in his usual silence. As he rode, he thought about Teshima's increased practice menu. He's always been all hard work or nothing, but this is bordering extreme even for Teshima. Every morning before class that week Aoyagi noticed how slowly Teshima had to sit and stand. It was like every muscle ached no matter what he tried to do.

Aoyagi locked his bike to the rack outside his home and walked in the door. After nodding hello to his parents, he went to his room to study. He sat down at his desk and began to rifle through his notes. He paged through, watching the notes get more and more cramped as doodles and drawings filled the note space. Finding the day's math lesson, he opened his work book to get through his homework. Calculus was giving him even more issues than Algebra. No matter how hard he tried, the numbers and letters seemed to swirl around on the page. He slumped onto the desk.

'If Junta was here...' Aoyagi thought. Teshima was much better at math than Aoyagi. He would always write out the formulas so they were easier for Aoyagi to understand. He turned his head toward his phone. 'This is the quietest it's been in weeks.' Even when they were apart, Teshima used to text Aoyagi constantly. Sometimes it was discussing over an idea and sometimes it was just to talk, but it was always there. It was a reassuring constant in Aoyagi's life and without it, he feels strange.

He sat up, taking his pencil back in hand. He sketched quick, dark lines. A curl here, an eyelash there. Soon an almost perfect image of Teshima was looking back at him. Aoyagi stared back. 'At least this one's here..' Aoyagi slumped down again. He looked back to his phone. Aoyagi was running this thumb over the keys, debating on whether to text Teshima for help when it buzzed.

Junta : Want to study together? This English is making more sense. I can help you with math for a trade?


	3. Chapter 3

Aoyagi stared at his phone screen. Maybe Teshima was finally returning to normal. His phone buzzed again.

Junta : We can work on next weeks training schedule too! I have some great ideas to improve my climbing! :D

There it was. The same overworking Teshima he's seen since becoming captain. He texted a quick "!" and started piling his books into his bag. He picked up his math notebook and looked at the little Teshima. Shutting it, he shoved it with the others and left his room.

He gave his parents a quick goodbye, unlocked his bike, and started the route to Teshima's he knew well. His parents never questioned where he was going anymore. They knew it would be somewhere with Teshima. He wasn't a very social child. His few friends were children of his parents' friends and their playdates consisted of him playing separately from the rest of the children. He knew how to talk at a normal age, he just didn't like to. He still doesn't. He communicated in nods or shakes of the head. It concerned his parents until their doctor reassured them he was just a quiet child. When he got to high school they worried even more. Cycling in middle school helped him make friends, but he was a quiet as ever. He was either at home or at school or at cycling practice. High school didn't seem like it was going to be that different.

Aoyagi rounded a corner. Then he met Teshima. Teshima didn't expect him to talk. Teshima always said he talks plenty for the both of them and Aoyagi always agreed. Teshima could take one look and Aoyagi's face and say anything Aoyagi wanted to say but couldn't. Anything Aoyagi wanted him to hear, but he didn't want to say it. Teshima learned to read every minute detail of Aoyagi's face and Aoyagi learned how to do the same to Teshima. They were inseparable and they were the perfect team. His parents were ecstatic that he'd found a friend to go out and do things with. They loved Teshima from the moment he introduced himself. Between Teshima's natural charm and his ability to speak for both of them, they couldn't have felt anything else.

Aoyagi stopped in front of Teshima's house. Locked to a small rack was Teshima's Cannondale. Aoyagi smiled a little. ' _It's strange how comforting a bicycle can be._ ' He sighed. " _Junta's_." He corrected himself. He'd accepted long ago that anything to do with Teshima seemed to comfort him. Stressful homework? Teshima's notes were there to help. Draining day? A Cannondale cyclist on TV. Sleepless night? The stars out his window. A bad morning? Teshima himself waiting for him at the school's gate. At some point Teshima became the most important person in the world to him. He couldn't let that person drift away.

Aoyagi locked his Corratec to the rack and knocked on the door. He heard a muffled "I'll get it!"

The door swing open to reveal a grinning face. "Aoyagi! Ready to get to work?"

Aoyagi nodded and followed Teshima to his room. He knew the way so well he could do it in his sleep. He preferred to follow Teshima anyway. It reminded him of when they were racing. Aoyagi loved seeing the slight sway when he walks or the bounce of his curly ponytail. Even more things about Teshima that are achingly familiar. They sat on the floor like they always do. Teshima already had his homework spread out.

"Okay so when I use like that's like suki, and daisuki is like really like?" Aoyagi nodded. "Then hime is princess."

"Junta."

"Hm?"

"Why are you translating Love Hime?"

Teshima laughed. "I thought it would be fun!" He leaned over to peek at Aoyagi's notebook. "How are you doing with the math?"

"Better." He shifted his hand to cover his earlier drawing. Teshima knew he was usually the subject of Aoyagi's drawings, but this one was a little too real to show.

"Fantastic! I'm going to start on the new schedule. I think this one will really help!" Aoyagi hesitated then nodded, not looking up from his homework.  
Teshima studied Aoyagi, a puzzled look on his face. ' _He's acting differently._ ' After a moment, he shook himself out of his thoughts and began working on their schedule.

The team of two worked for a while. Aoyagi was quiet as ever and Teshima muttered under his breath, thinking aloud. Aoyagi alternated between doing math problems and watching Teshima. He wrote furiously, his forehead crinkled in concentration. Aoyagi heard bits and pieces of what Teshima muttered. "One more lap. I can do one more." "Get up early. Practice more." Several pieces of his hair had fallen into his face. Sure Teshima was naturally a hard worker, but this was getting out of hand. Aoyagi was worried.

"Junta." Teshima kept working. Again, louder. "Junta."

"Huh? Oh sorry. What's up?"

"You're working too hard."

"What? Nooo! I have to work hard as captain!" Teshima had a strained smile on his face.

"Junta-"

"After all I have to keep the team on track and make sure their training is up to par and-"

"Junta-"

"I have to learn to climb like Makishima-san said then there are the first years to look after and-"

"Junta!" Teshima stopped. Aoyagi never shouted.

"Junta. You're captain and it is hard work. But you don't have to do it alone."

"Aoyagi, I-"

"No Junta. We. I'm vice captain. I'm with you on this. We are a team of two and we work on things. Together. Like always."

Teshima's shoulders relaxed. The smile on his face not as strained. "I guess I forgot. I got so caught up with the responsibility."

Aoyagi moved closer. "Together. From now on, we do everything together."

Teshima wrapped an arm around Aoyagi's shoulders, touching their foreheads together. "Yeah. Together."


End file.
